Iran executes alleged Mossad spy over role in IRGC Colonel’s assassination

(Web Desk): Iran has executed an alleged 'spy' accused of collaborating and spying for Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.

According to a report by Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera, Iran's judiciary announced through its official news agency, Mizan, that Mohsen Langaranshin was executed on Wednesday morning for allegedly working with Mossad.

Mizan reported that from 2020 for a period of two years, Mohsen Langaranshin provided extensive “logistical, technical, and operational support” to Mossad.

One of the main charges against Langaranshin was his alleged involvement in the May 2022 assassination of Colonel Sayyad Khodaei of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was shot and killed by two motorcyclists while returning home in Tehran.

According to The New York Times, Israel had informed the United States that it (Israel) was responsible for the killing.

Mizan reported that Langaranshin had purchased a motorcycle to monitor Colonel Khodaei’s movements, relayed the information to Mossad, and was also present at the time of the assassination. Additionally, he was accused of facilitating an attack on an industrial site related to logistics for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces in Isfahan.

Iran cited "extensive intelligence and technical evidence" of Langaranshin’s involvement in these operations and claimed he had made a "full confession" to his role.

However, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, head of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization, stated that Langaranshin was sentenced following an unfair trial and that his confessions were obtained through torture.

Speaking to AFP, Amiry-Moghaddam said, “The Iranian authorities' execution machine is accelerating day by day, costing more and more lives.” He described these executions as "extrajudicial killings."

The U.S.-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, which campaigned on Langaranshin’s case, said he was convicted in a revolutionary court following his arrest in July 2023. The presiding judge was Abolqasem Salavati, who is under sanctions by the U.S. and the European Union and is notorious for handing down death sentences.

The center added that Langaranshin had denied all charges and claimed that his confessions were extracted through torture.